This invention relates generally to printed forms for processing claims, and more particularly to a printed form having an address label removably attached thereto, whereby material to be returned to the submitter of the form by the receiving party may be enclosed in an envelope which is addressed by the removed label.
While the invention will be described herein in connection with printed forms for processing claims for dental expense benefits, it is to be understood that the invention is applicable to any printed form which is to be submitted to a party for processing, which processing requires the mailing of material by the receiving party to the submitter.
Certain insurance companies now provide group insurance for the employees of large companies to cover their dental expenses. Thus the dentist who treats an employee covered by a policy of this type is not paid by his patient for services rendered but by the insurer. In order to receive payment, the dentist is required to fill out a printed form supplied by the insurer, in which the dentist identifies his patient and indicates in detail the nature of the professional services he has performed.
Since dentists normally take X-rays of the teeth before treatment, the dentist is required to send in these radiographs with the filled-out form so that the insurer is able to check the X-rays before authorizing payment to the dentist. And since the radiographs are the property of the dentist, they must be returned to him by the insurer.
The need to return radiographs or other material to the insurer presents certain practical problems. Under existing procedures, the dentist inserts his name and address in an address block on the printed form, and the insurer, in preparing an envelope for the material to be returned to the dentist, must address this envelope on the basis of information derived from the block. This is a time-consuming operation and subject to human error. Where literally thousands of such forms are processed by an insurance company, existing procedures are not only costly but are a source of frequent complaint from dentists who fail to receive their radiographs and other material because of improper addressing on the part of clerical personnel.